It’s 5pm on a Thursday in the heart of the city and several groups of finance bros and PR execs are celebrating their last day at the office before the weekend. Ties are off, conversation is flowing and someone has just made a joke about asking ChatGPT to rewrite their Hinge profile.
But there are no pints in hand or cheese and onion crisps at this post-workout hangout. Here at Sauna & Plunge on Shoreditch’s Tabernacle Street, the air is filled with the earthy scent of cedar, plants fill the room from floor to ceiling, and there’s an ultra-chic pair of ice baths in the corner for when the heat gets too much. Sticky floors and overpriced drinks are out, fluffy white robes are in. Saunas no longer seem like a footnote at the end of a gym session — they’re London’s hottest new hangout.
“People are crying out for ways to get together and socialize,” says Rob Rea, a performance coach at Sauna & Plunge who believes saunas are the new pubs, or even golf courses, as Londoners seek out new spaces to socialize outside the office. “I was in a sauna the other day and heard a business deal being done.”
Sauna & Plunge — an Instagrammable yoga studio-style venue (yeah, yoga classes are available downstairs) just around the corner from Old Street station — isn’t the only new spot drawing a buzzing crowd of Londoners looking for a social space with proven health benefits. “Our sauna events include storytelling, sound baths, queer poetry, aromatherapy, breathing exercises, drawing and singing,” says Grace Church, events manager for Community Sauna Baths , a non-profit that runs accessible saunas in Bermondsey, Peckham, Hackney Wick and Stratford.
New venues are popping up all over the capital, from Barnes to Docklands, and Hackney recently hosted the UK’s first sauna festival, Saunaversefor the second year running, with hundreds of Londoners alternating between saunas and icy plunge pools, beer in hand, to a soundtrack of bands and DJs (if you happened to be in Hackney Wick in late April, you probably saw clouds of steam vaporizing in the air above the art studios and craft breweries). “What’s interesting is that in the UK, saunas seem to be less about optimizing health and more about fun and social connection,” says Mika Meskanen, president and founder of the British Sauna Society. “We would be better off with less social media and more social sauna.”
Why are so many Londoners choosing to strip down and steam themselves like dumplings? According to experts, the answer may be more pub-like than you might expect. “With short-term exposure to stress, like the high temperatures of saunas, you can achieve a ‘natural high,’” says neuroscientist Lana Powell. Max Reynard, co-founder of Sauna & Plunge, agrees. “Sauna lowers inhibitions — and boosts productivity at the same time,” he says. “We’re becoming aware that social interaction doesn’t have to happen with a drink in hand. We may not have many good alternatives for social interaction outside of pubs and restaurants in the UK because it’s so ingrained in our culture.”
Many converts now swear by the Finnish tradition as a way to find a rare moment of connection in what is often a harried, lonely city. “I have really interesting conversations in the sauna that I would never normally have in another context,” says Ella, a regular at the community sauna. “I actually feel more confident talking to strangers in the sauna because everyone is in such a zen and friendly state of mind.”
Chevy Rough, a regular at Sauna & Plunge, agrees. And for him, it’s the mindfulness aspect that appeals to him the most. “There’s nothing better than throwing my phone in the locker and heading to the sauna,” he says. “It’s often in moments like this, when my body is starting to get back to normal, that I come up with ideas and solutions to all the daily problems I might be trying to escape from.”
The health benefits of saunas are, of course, a big draw. In Scandinavian countries like Finland, which has been named the happiest country in the world for the seventh year running, saunas have become part of their DNA thanks to their proven benefits for the respiratory system, cardiovascular system and mood. “Regular sauna sessions have been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and even mental health disorders,” explains Carlos Urrutigoity, CEO of luxury wellness members’ club Grey Wolfe. “Sauna use is associated with improved mood, better sleep and lower levels of stressors like cortisol.”
Here in London, social saunas may not have quite reached the nudity stage yet, but a more innovative, less traditional approach to saunas is certainly encouraging a new kind of social element. Community Sauna Baths hosts regular creative sessions like grief saunas, life drawing classes and social circles for the trans community; Sauna & Plunge offers yoga and breathwork classes alongside its infrared saunas and ice bath facilities; and Saunaverse — expected to return next spring — offers everything from gluten-free food trucks to dance workshops and performances by local DJs.
“Operators in the UK see saunas more as creative platforms than faithful reproductions of the original,” says Meskanen. Having pints in the sauna may not be a London ritual just yet, but it may only be a matter of time. Grab your robe.
London’s Most Popular Social Saunas
Communal sauna baths
With locations across London, this non-profit community project puts the social aspect of sauna culture front and centre. Prices are affordable and accessible, so just come along and meet like-minded people for a fun and invigorating sweat and dip experience.
Price: From £8.50
Locations: Bermondsey, Peckham, Hackney Wick, Stratford
community-sauna.co.uk
The Finnish Church
The Finnish Church is a focal point for Finnish expats living in the UK and has both public and private sauna sessions available. The public sessions cost just £10, so this is a traditional and accessible way for anyone in London to experience authentic Finnish sauna culture.
Price: From £10
Place: 33 Albion St, Rotherhithe, SE16 7HZ
britannia.merimieskirkko.fi/en
New Docklands Steam Baths
The sauna experience at New Docklands is truly old school. With Russian steam rooms for an authentic schvitz and a cedar sauna and cold plunge pool, it is touted as “the best steam in London”.
Price: from £23
Place: 30a Stephenson St, Canning Town, E16 4SA
newdocklands.uk
Sauna & Diving
Sauna & Plunge offers a fully immersive experience with both infrared and steam saunas and ice plunge pools to complete the hot and cold therapy treatment. Their Shoreditch studio is modern and stylish and is conveniently located around the corner from Old Street station.
Price: From £30
Place: 124 Tabernacle St, Shoreditch, EC2A 4SA
saunaandplunge.life
Grey Wolf
The private club Grey Wolfe offers a full menu of wellness treatments, from Swedish massage and reflexology to wellness mapping and even a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Members have unlimited use of the infrared sauna as part of this.
Price: Price on request
Place: 71 White Hart Lane, Barnes, SW13 0PP
greywolfe.co.uk